Tour the Owner of McKinnon and Harris’ Backyard
In Richmond, VA, Will Massie creates an oasis just steps from downtown.
Kip Dawkins Photography
It is no surprise that the CEO and cofounder of McKinnon and Harris, Will Massie, has a superb backyard. However, it wasn’t always this idyllic. McKinnon and Harris is named for Massie’s grandmothers, who had memorable Virginia gardens of their own. So when Massie and his wife, Alice, purchased a home 25 years ago, they jumped at the opportunity to own a quarter-acre lot in Richmond’s Fan District. “We loved it instantly for its charming disrepair; as a designer and maker of garden furniture, the house and garden were the perfect canvas,” Massie says.
When the couple first started building the garden, they had three goals in mind. The first was to include an oasis just steps from the city. “We included water features that add to the tranquil ambience and the tall hedges and treillage allow you to feel completely removed from the world around,” Massie says. The second was to forge a connection between the interior and exterior, since the garden previously had no relation to their home. In addition to adding more windows on the garden side of the home, “we chose antique pieces for the garden that we’ve collected on family holidays, like we have throughout our home,” Massie explains. Finally, they wanted a “foundation of green” all 12 months of the year. “We can see every part of the garden from the house, so it just made sense to have something that looks lush and beautiful year-round,” Massie says.
-
1/9
Kip Dawkins Photography
"At our back entryway, we have a pair of 18th-century Italian Solomonic Columns with Egyptian and Turkish brass vessels planted with Australian tree ferns," Massie says. "On top of the vintage chest of drawers are maidenhair ferns surrounding a bronze Dionysus head. We have a McKinnon and Harris McNeil armchair to sit out and look at our garden."
Kip Dawkins Photography
"At our back entryway, we have a pair of 18th-century Italian Solomonic Columns with Egyptian and Turkish brass vessels planted with Australian tree ferns," Massie says. "On top of the vintage chest of drawers are maidenhair ferns surrounding a bronze Dionysus head. We have a McKinnon and Harris McNeil armchair to sit out and look at our garden."
-
2/9
Kip Dawkins Photography
The Italian marble catapult balls are from Florence. "Piles of catapult balls in a village helped to keep the peace in the neighborhood," Massie explains. "They became known as 'peace balls' in Spain. The catapult was replaced by the cannon and the catapult was all but extinct by the late 15th century."
Kip Dawkins Photography
The Italian marble catapult balls are from Florence. "Piles of catapult balls in a village helped to keep the peace in the neighborhood," Massie explains. "They became known as 'peace balls' in Spain. The catapult was replaced by the cannon and the catapult was all but extinct by the late 15th century."
-
3/9
Kip Dawkins Photography
The back door is painted in McKinnon and Harris’ Marrakech Blue.
-
4/9
Kip Dawkins Photography
Of course, Massie has his fair share of McKinnon and Harris furnishings. A pair of Osakazuki Japanese maples frame the bay window.
Kip Dawkins Photography
Of course, Massie has his fair share of McKinnon and Harris furnishings. A pair of Osakazuki Japanese maples frame the bay window.
-
5/9
Kip Dawkins Photography
"This part of the garden is almost like being in a theater," Massie says. "The fountain is elevated like a stage so you can see and hear the sounds of water." The Shenandoah Gray Green trellis with both diagonal and square shiplap lattice work matches the furniture. The 18th-century Italian Corinthian marble capitals are from the estate of John Hay "Jock" Whitney, former United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, on the North Shore of Long Island.
Kip Dawkins Photography
"This part of the garden is almost like being in a theater," Massie says. "The fountain is elevated like a stage so you can see and hear the sounds of water." The Shenandoah Gray Green trellis with both diagonal and square shiplap lattice work matches the furniture. The 18th-century Italian Corinthian marble capitals are from the estate of John Hay "Jock" Whitney, former United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, on the North Shore of Long Island.
-
6/9
Kip Dawkins Photography
Massie and his wife bought the brick from an old school in Richmond that pulled up its walkways. "We have always been drawn to things with a patina of age," he says. "Although it’s more maintenance, we wanted to set it in sand so that moss would grow in between the bricks. It softens the look and makes it feel like it’s been there forever."
Kip Dawkins Photography
Massie and his wife bought the brick from an old school in Richmond that pulled up its walkways. "We have always been drawn to things with a patina of age," he says. "Although it’s more maintenance, we wanted to set it in sand so that moss would grow in between the bricks. It softens the look and makes it feel like it’s been there forever."
-
7/9
Kip Dawkins Photography
White geraniums fill the large Val d'Osne cast-iron urns with snake handles from 1860, while Impruneta Italian terracotta pots are planted with green beauty boxwood spheres.
Kip Dawkins Photography
White geraniums fill the large Val d'Osne cast-iron urns with snake handles from 1860, while Impruneta Italian terracotta pots are planted with green beauty boxwood spheres.
-
8/9
Kip Dawkins Photography
"Repeating and restricting the plant palette in a small garden creates a greater sense of space. Box spheres and architectural green shapes tie everything together," Massie says. On the table, is a 100-year-old Korean Hornbeam Bonsai. "I love the way the Bonsai adds a sense of contemplation and age to the garden."
Kip Dawkins Photography
"Repeating and restricting the plant palette in a small garden creates a greater sense of space. Box spheres and architectural green shapes tie everything together," Massie says. On the table, is a 100-year-old Korean Hornbeam Bonsai. "I love the way the Bonsai adds a sense of contemplation and age to the garden."
-
9/9
Kip Dawkins Photography
The hub of the Massie family's summer picnics and mixology.
3 Tips for Garden Design
- Create garden rooms. I love to create rooms within a garden, which adds to the feeling of an interior space. For example, the trellis enclosure in our garden creates a focal point and private roomlike space that has become our outdoor living room in the garden. We’ve created hallways that go to different garden “rooms” and align with the house’s windows in a graceful manner.
- Choose enduring furniture to complement the garden. Use natural materials like aluminum, wood, and stone that have proven the test of time. Avoid plastic in the garden.
- Select a cohesive color palette. A cohesive color palette is calming and refined and allows the garden to take center stage.
